Veterans affairs Las Vegas: free help with your VA claim, tax breaks and your rights
Veterans affairs Las Vegas help comes from two places. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs decides federal benefits like disability pay, pension and health care. The Nevada Department of Veterans Services helps you file those claims for free. It also runs the state veterans homes and cemeteries. This page covers what Nevada and federal law give you, how to file without paying anyone, and how to spot a claims shark. It does not list clinic addresses. If you are in danger or need a doctor right now, call 911.
What you do now
1. Find your discharge papers. Nevada counts you as a veteran if you live here, served
on active duty (or at least 6 continuous years in the Guard or reserves) and left under conditions
other than dishonorable (NRS 417.005). Almost every benefit below asks for proof of that.
2. Get a free veterans service officer. A veterans service officer is certified by
the state and recognized by the VA to help you file claims (NRS 417.017). The state Director's job
is to help veterans, service members, spouses, widows, children and survivors prepare and present
claims for pension, disability, education, training and other benefits (NRS 417.090(1)(a)). A county
can create its own office of coordinator of services for veterans. If it does, that office helps
county residents with claims too (NRS 244.401(1), (3)(a)).
3. File the claim. Don't wait. The VA pays benefits only on a claim filed in the
form it requires (38 U.S.C. 5101(a)(1)(A)). An award usually can't start before the date the VA
received your application (38 U.S.C. 5110(a)(1)). If you file for disability within one year after
discharge, the award can go back to the day after you left the service (38 U.S.C. 5110(b)(1)).
4. Claim your Nevada property tax exemption. File an affidavit with the Clark County
Assessor (NRS 361.090(3), (4); NRS 361.091(3), (4)). See the tax section below.
Do not pay anyone to file your first claim
This is the rule most people don't know. Under federal law, no agent or attorney may charge you, or be paid, for help with a VA claim before you get notice of the VA's first decision on it (38 U.S.C. 5904(c)(1)). That limit doesn't cover fees for work in court.
Seminars must say who they are. Anyone who advertises a veterans
benefits event in Nevada must say out loud, and hand you in writing, that the event is not sponsored by
the VA or the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. They must also say you may qualify for other
benefits (NRS 417.133(1)).
Ads must tell you it's free elsewhere. Anyone advertising help with
veterans benefits must print that no one may be paid except as Title 38 allows. The ad must also say the
help is free from veteran service organizations and accredited veterans service officers
(NRS 417.133(2)). The print must be at least 10-point and easy to see (NRS 417.133(3)).
Paid helpers need your signature first. A person who helps you get
veterans benefits for money must give you the state's written disclosure. They must get your signature
on it before you sign up. The form says the same help is free from service organizations and veterans
service officers (NRS 417.135(1), (2)). These rules don't apply to attorneys and agents the VA has
accredited (NRS 417.133(4)(f), NRS 417.135(3)).
If someone broke these rules. The Attorney General can collect up to
$10,000 for each violation. You can also sue for consumer fraud (NRS 417.137).
Nevada property tax breaks for veterans
| Who | What the law gives | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran who served in a listed war period or campaign, with an honorable discharge | Part of your property's assessed value is exempt from tax. The base amount in the law is adjusted every year for inflation | NRS 361.090(1), (8) |
| Veteran with a permanent service-connected disability of 60 percent or more, honorably discharged | A larger exemption that grows with your rating: 60–79, 80–99, or 100 percent. These amounts are adjusted every year too | NRS 361.091(1), (2), (10) |
| Surviving spouse of a disabled veteran | Can claim the disabled veteran exemption if married to and living with the veteran for the 5 years before death, plus the other conditions in the law | NRS 361.091(1), (6) |
| How to claim | An affidavit made before the county assessor or a notary and filed with the assessor. After that, the assessor mails you a renewal form each year | NRS 361.090(4), NRS 361.091(4) |
| Proof you bring | Your honorable discharge or certificate of satisfactory service, or a certified copy. For the disability exemption, a paper showing your total disability percentage | NRS 361.090(6), NRS 361.091(5) |
| You qualify for both | A veteran who gets the disability exemption can't also get the regular veterans exemption | NRS 361.091(8)(a) |
| Still on active duty | You don't have to file the yearly renewal while you serve | NRS 361.090(5) |
| Your disability rating | For any Nevada or local benefit, the federal rating counts. A VA or Defense Department certificate showing your percentage is enough proof | NRS 417.0187 |
Don't overstate your service or rating. Filing a false affidavit or false proof to get an exemption is a gross misdemeanor (NRS 361.090(7), NRS 361.091(9)).
What else the state gives
Veterans homes. The Department of Veterans Services runs the state
veterans homes, with one gift account for the home in Southern Nevada and one for the home in Northern
Nevada (NRS 417.090(1)(n), NRS 417.145).
Veterans cemeteries. You may be buried in a Nevada veterans cemetery
if you qualify for a national cemetery under 38 U.S.C. 2402. Some Guard and reserve veterans who meet
Nevada's definition qualify too (NRS 417.210(1)).
Homeless or at risk. Part of the Department's job is to connect
veterans who are homeless to housing and support (NRS 417.090(1)(u)). It must also run programs to
prevent suicide among veterans (NRS 417.090(1)(v)).
Sexual trauma in service. The Director must develop plans and
programs for veterans who suffered sexual trauma on active duty or in training (NRS 417.090(1)(i)).
LGBTQ veterans. A state or local veterans benefit can't be denied
only because you are a discharged veteran who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender
(NRS 417.0185(1)).
Good to know
Family can get help too. Free claims help covers spouses, domestic
partners, widows, widowers, children, dependents, and the executors of a veteran's estate
(NRS 417.090(1)(a)).
Facing a lawsuit or eviction while serving? See
military rights for the protections that apply while you're on active
duty.
Behind on property tax? See
Clark County property tax for due dates and
penalties.
Read 2026-11-06 off the Nevada Revised Statutes: chapter 417 revision stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), chapter 361 stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), chapter 244 stamped 4/15/2026 (2025); and the United States Code, Title 38, 2024 edition (38 U.S.C. 5101, 5110, 5904).